politics
Rep. Edwards Gave Personalized Handguns to Two Female Staffers in 2024
The congressman presented a blue handgun and a pink handgun, each engraved with the recipient's name, while the women worked in his office. Axios reported the gifts occurred in North Carolina and form part of a House Ethics Committee investigation.
Jul 20, 5:02 PM·2m read1 source
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Rep. Edwards gave two young female staffers personalized handguns in 2024 while they worked in his congressional office, Axios reported. One received a blue handgun engraved with her name and the other a pink handgun engraved with her name.
Both gifts took place in North Carolina. Edwards was a licensed firearms dealer until November 2024 and previously owned Second Amendment Gun Traders in Hendersonville, North Carolina. He lists an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association on his campaign website.
In a statement, Edwards said he had taught several staff members to shoot and handle weapons and in some cases provided them with their own. He added that before election to Congress he was a licensed firearm dealer and is a strong believer in teaching men and women about firearm safety and self-defense.
Three sources told Axios they had never seen or heard of Edwards giving another staffer a firearm or teaching other staffers how to use one.
Axios reported that Edwards also arranged a surprise musical performance at one staffer's birthday party in spring 2025 at Salazar in Washington, D.C. He hired a singer to perform the staffer's favorite Ed Sheeran songs. Edwards coordinated the event through one of the staffer's friends whom he met while visiting her in the hospital during an appendicitis episode.
He left Capitol Hill during the workday for the hospital visit. At one staffer's office-wide going-away party, Edwards read a flattering poem aloud while choking up and becoming teary-eyed, four sources told Axios. " Edwards gave the staffer a custom puzzle revealing an image of Adam Sandler along with a handwritten note inviting her to attend one of Sandler's comedy shows with him.
